READERS CHOICE AWARDS
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• Curbside recycling comes to Mission Beach. Page 3 • New: See what’s Up & Out in the beach area. Page 4
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• Planning group holds meeting about alcohol licenses. Page 6
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
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Demonstration slated to protest offshore drilling
Fourth of
July weekend
BY ANTHONY GENTILE | BEACH & BAY PRESS While most folks will rest and relax during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, that is not the case for local police and lifeguards. With nearly a million people expected to hit city beaches — including Mission Beach and Pacific Beach — police and lifeguards are making preparations for the holiday. “Undoubtedly, the Fourth of July weekend is our busiest event of the year,” said Lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum. “We work closely with SDFD (San Diego Fire Department) and SDPD (San Diego Police Department) and attend meetings months in advance to prepare for the increased activity at city beaches.”
BY ANTHONY GENTILE | BEACH & BAY PRESS With global thoughts on the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, local residents are being asked to join hands on the beach this Saturday morning as a statement against offshore drilling. The demonstration event, dubbed Hands Across the Sand, will be held at Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach on June 26 at 11:30 a.m. “We want to send the message that we are against offshore drilling and nearshore drilling and we are for clean energy alternatives,” said Donna Wolf, executive committee member with Surfrider San Diego. Surfrider San Diego is hosting the Crystal Pier demonstration site and the day will include a beach cleanup from 9 to 11 a.m. There is also a site at tower 13 on Mission Beach. For more information, visit www.handsacrossthesand.org. “It’s a community event. It’s not political or affiliated with anything,” Wolf said. “It’s simply about being a member of your community, being a member of nature and getting out with your fellow man and making a stand.” Hands Across the Sand was started in October by a Florida resident and beachside restaurant owner in order to send the message to the state to keep a ban in place on offshore drilling. On Saturday, people in 46 states and 16 countries will participate in the now-global event. The event comes less than two months after the BP oilrig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that has resulted in one of the largest oil spills in history. In addition to holding hands, event participants will draw physical and metaphorical lines in the sand as an anti-drilling demonstration. “We’re drawing a line in the sand and saying no more. We’ve been opposed to offshore drilling and the dangers of it for years and this is exactly the reason why,” Wolf said. “What’s happening in the Gulf is going to take years for the ecosystem and the economy and the lifestyles of the people who are affected to recover from.” Locally, Wolf said there are oil reserves off the coast of San Diego that were once pursued by energy companies. She said even if a major leak or spill didn’t occur at these sites, the offshore drilling would present daily harm to the local environment. “There are usually minor spills that happen throughout the rig’s life that are extremely detrimental to not only the coastal community, but the marine life that’s out there as well,” Wolf said. “All that ultimately affects the coast and the people living here.”
Police San Diego Police Department Northern Division Capt. Chris Ball said there will be the same amount of police presence in Mission Beach and Pacific Beach during the weekend as there was in 2009. “The challenge is with the numbers,” Ball said. The SDPD is still coordinating its critical incident management, traffic and gang units to get a final count of officers in the area. Last year, more misdemeanor alcohol citations were made but the number of arrests from the previous year decreased. “There are some challenges along Garnet Avenue with large numbers of people in the evening, but in SEE FOURTH, Page 5
July 4, 2010 fireworks • Mission Bay Yacht Club: fireworks visible from Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Mount Soledad, 9 p.m. • SeaWorld: fireworks visible from Mission Bay and Crown Point. “Shamu’s SkySplash USA,” July 4, 9:50 p.m., “Into the Blue” July 3, 5, 9:30 p.m. • Ocean Beach Pier: 9 p.m. • La Jolla Cove: 9 p.m. • La Jolla Country Club: approximately 8:20 p.m. Emergency services are planning for enormous crowds in Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Mission Bay again for the Fourth of July weekend. Lifeguards performed 284 water rescues during last year’s holiday weekend and made 5,890 preventative acts. Lifeguard staff will be increased by more than PAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press 60 percent on July 4.
Debate over Kate Sessions heats up Community members disagree whether 24-hr. alcohol ban is necessary BY HILLARY SCHULER-JONES | BEACH & BAY PRESS When Capt. Chris Ball of the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division patrols Kate Sessions Park, he sees people enjoying the beautiful surroundings and having fun with friends and family members. When Michelle Youngers, a founding member of Friends of Kate Sessions Park, visits the same area, which is adjacent to her house, she witnesses a different scene:
Police, lifeguards prepare for busiest weekend of year
“boozed-up rowdies” who urinate in public and disrupt area families. The discrepancy between these two perspectives is at the heart of a debate over whether to extend the park’s current 12hour alcohol ban, which is in place from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day, to a 24-hour ban that would eliminate all alcohol consumption within the 79-acre facility. The ban, which was first proposed by Friends of Kate Sessions Park to the Santa Clara/Pacific Beach Recreation Council in January, has sparked passionate pleas on both sides and prompted an investigation by city staff into the broader impact that a ban could have on other city parks. Opponents say a 24-hour ban is too extreme for a public property that everyone has the right to enjoy.
“As a neighbor, I can see both sides of the story,” said resident Chris Winkle. “I’m impacted by the increased noise that is caused by increased usage at the park, and I’m impacted by the increased traffic and by the generally larger number of people that are around here on the weekends. On the other hand, I recognize that it’s a public park, it’s not anyone’s private property. So while I can see people wanting to cause restrictions to control what goes on there, I don’t think its fair just to try to impose a 24-hour ban as a solution to the problems. I think it’s an overreaction.” Youngers favors the ban because of the rude behavior she and her neighbors have SEE DEBATE, Page 6
• San Diego Bay: “Big Bay Boom 2010,” 9 p.m. • San Diego Symphony (Embarcadero): 9 p.m.
MORE INFO: The city of San Diego is the only entity authorized to institute a 24hour alcohol ban at Kate Sessions Park, but six community groups have voted to support the ban: • The Pacific Beach Planning Group (11-2) • Santa Clara/Pacific Beach Recreation Council (4-0) • The Parks and Beaches Committee of the La Jolla Town Council (7-0) • The La Jolla Town Council (13-0) • La Jolla Parks and Recreation Inc. (10-0) • The Community Parks I Division Area Committee (10-0) — According to the city’s Park and Recreation Department
In 2009, officers fielded 84 calls for service about the park, which resulted in eight citations, including violations regarding loose animals and glass containers, and four arrests (none of which were alcohol related), police Capt. Chris Ball said. Year-to-date, there have been no arrests and two citations. Ball said that compared to other areas of the city that receive dozens of calls per day, Kate Sessions is not a major source of concern for police.
TO LEARN MORE: A Facebook fan page called “Save Kate Sessions Park, Pacific Beach from ANOTHER unnecessary BOOZE BAN!” had more than 2,100 fans when this issue went to print.